


the art of breaking chairs

by Evekle



Series: Once more with feeling [1]
Category: Skins (UK)
Genre: 1am ramblings played straight, Fluff and Crack, Friendship, Gen, My First Work in This Fandom, chair breaking, over a garden wall (literally)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-17 04:01:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29711322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evekle/pseuds/Evekle
Summary: In which Cook runs away from his problems, flips over the garden wall to Freddie's and contemplates what he has.
Relationships: James Cook & Freddie McLair
Series: Once more with feeling [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2184348
Kudos: 2





	the art of breaking chairs

Freddie finds him stuck in the garden. Both of the doors were locked and Cook thinks he’s a genius until he sees his friend’s face. 

“What the _fuck_ \--” his best friend starts. “What were you _thinking_ -” 

He doesn’t really have much of an explanation. It was a dumb idea that paid off. 

“It seemed like a good idea at the time, Freds, you have to loosen up a bit,” Cook tries to reason. 

“You broke one of the chairs!” 

Cook blinks, once then twice before he responds. God, he doesn’t even _know_ why they’re having this conversation in the first place. It’s a broken chair, so _what?_

“And you don’t own that chair,” he responds with a shrug. 

“My father’s going to _kill me_ -” 

In exasperation, Freddie runs a hand through his hair, the look of utter despair in his eyes before he locks eyes with him again. Apparently breaking chairs is a penalty in life now. 

(It’s an ugly chair, though.) 

There’s a pause. 

The two of them glance at the fence then back at the shed. _Technically_ if no one saw him, no one would be in trouble. Plus, it’s not like Freddie is going to leave him. 

“What were you thinking?” Freddie prompts the moment they enter the shed. “After all these years, surely-” 

He’s learnt absolutely nothing.

“Not all of us are built like a beanpole, Freds.” 

Quietly, his friend takes out a spliff, tossing on over to him. It’s funny how skipping school feels like _this_. They’re not free, far from it. Cook hates the building, the walls seeming to close around from all over. 

(There’s other things that follow everyone around and all Cook knows is to run.) 

The taste of the spliff is one that has all of his muscles relaxing. His arm still feels like pins and needles from the wooden fence. Cook doesn’t care. As long as he’s with Freds and JJ, everything will be fine. 

Three musketeers against a world that’s never given a fuck about them. 

It's a nice, sweet thought to taste unlike the very drugs thrumming through his veins. 

“So why’d you do it?” Freddie prompts, long limbs dangling from the furniture. 

Cook shrugs. 

“Life’s fucking awful, it’s really just that.” 

“So you broke the chair.” 

He wants him to stop mentioning the _chair._ As if it’s worth ten of him. The thing is inanimate, replaceable if the neighbors bothered. All Cook can do is glance over with the most innocent expression he can muster. 

(It stretches over like plastic, another mask he wants to tear off.) 

“It was the only thing that would be good leverage.” 

Cook shrugs and Freddie grins. 

Everything about it is fond, quiet with warmth behind it. So he’s not really _angry_ about the chair. He doesn’t want to think about the implications, not today, not any time soon. 

“And plus,” he jests, adding into the absurdity of what happened. “It worked so it’s not a fucking dumb idea!” 

His friend sighs. 

“‘Course.” 

**Author's Note:**

> *waves* I'm apparently jumping between hyperfixations again and yes, I binged the first two generations of Skins in the span of a week. (The ending is a lie and ended with me joining the fandom out of spite lol) 
> 
> Always found Cook and Freddie's relationship interesting and this fic is a bit of a prelude to what I have planned! I swear I write serious fic (the 3.2K outline is my proof of my clownery). 
> 
> Side note: what Cook does is something I have down irl. It is incredibly dumb but I think it's fic worthy for the clownery alone lol. 
> 
> Feel free to yell with me about fandom over at tumblr or discord! Comments are serotonin! <3 
> 
> Tumblr: evekle  
> Discord: EliNLE #2838


End file.
